Need A Little Help ::: Getting the FX Guns to work with the Predator Polymags

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sharathkumar

sharathkumar

Member
Sep 9, 2019
95
1
Tennessee, United States
Hello Everyone !! 





I’ve been digging around - on many of the AG forums and the internet in general - to figure out if someone has identified a “solution” to getting he FX guns - more specially the FX Impact - working with the Predator Polymags pellets (.25 cal)





Sadly, thus far - I have not found a sustainable/long-term/permanent solution that I can get behind !! 😢





So, I’m making my first post here, on the AGN forums, in the hopes that one of you AG aficionados here has identified a “secret sauce” and is willing to share the recipe !! 😊





I’ve listed out the options I’ve explored/tried/found/already-been-recommended and how why it didn’t really “work” for me:







* Single Loading - It gets old reaaaaaal fast ... And it almost feels like an affront to have to single load pellets into something like the FX Impact. 

( I mean - if I wanted to single load pellets - I would’ve stuck with the AirForce platform ! 😂 )







* Buying Aftermarket/Custom-Made FX Magazines - Someone (I think on the FX Impact Owners group, on Facebook) recommended that I reach out to “Darco Dell Orco” who makes custom mags for FX guns. Unfortunately, per my brief chat with Darco, the FX Impact is one of the items he has NOT YET started making Production-Ready mags for ... And he didn’t give me an ETA for when something would be Production ready ... So - I think it’s reasonable to assume it may be a while before anything comes of it.







* Fabricating Mags Yourself - I’m told - that if one has a (high-end) 3D printer AND (mad-scientist-like) engineering skills - one could fabricate a custom mag on their own ... I have neither of those ... So - that was a dead end too!! 😂







* Clipping/Pulling-Out the Red tips - This is what I’m currently using as a workaround. Groups are no where as tight as the JSB’s - but it’ll do the job (maybe) for now. But, a Polymag minus the (sharp/pointed) polymer-tip really defeats the whole purpose of using the Polymags in the first place. IMHO that red tip plays an crucial/important part in the mechanics of how/why/what causes the nearly 2x expansion, and the energy-dump that happens immediately after punching through tough hide (like a starling/crow) at the POI, that makes the PolyMag such an effective hunting/pesting round.

( I mean think about it - if the pellet was gonna be “just as accurate/effective” without the red tip - the manufacturer would be the first one to skip the red tips and reap-in the $$$ savings in materials/tooling/manufacturing costs ) 







* Polymag Shorts - Unfortunately, they don’t make the Polymag shorts in .25 cal ... And Pyramydair doesn’t have an ETA for it either ... So it’s safe to assume - it ain’t happening coming out anytime soon!







* Use the JSB pellets - Look ... I get it - The JSB’s are very accurate pellets ... And when it comes to target shooting and/or plinking - I love em!! But IMHO it doesn’t hold a candle to the PolyMag wrt expansion and tissue-damage needed for something be an effective pesting-ammo. No offense to those who LOVE the JSBs for hunting/plinking and keep suggesting that as the “solution” - but I don’t really want to hear (another) explanation of how/why “It’s got enough FPE to do the job if I do my part wrt shot placement - it’ll do just as good a job as the PolyMags!!”



( This is about my quest to find a way to Marry the FX Impact with the Predator PolyMag ... Not how other pellet-alliances can be just as good !! )







* Use the H&N Crow Magnum Pellets - This too is an excellent pellet - atleast in some Airguns ... But, my Impact doesn’t seem to love it all that much .... Besides in-line with my response to the “Use the JSB pellets” suggestion ... I.e. That’s not the problem I’m trying to find a solution for! 😉







• Using the FX Sideshot magazine - I’ve ordered one from PA ... But, per a fellow member (of the FX Impact Owners group on Facebook) who currently owns one of em sideshot mag - The PolyMags don’t fit inside his SideShot mags. 



( Not sure if those mags are “generational” ... If so he may have an older generation SideShot mag v/s the one I just ordered from PA is a newer generation and may work with longer pellets? It may be a few weeks - because the item is back-ordered on PA - But, I’ll report back once I have a chance to try out my SideShot mag )







If you’ve reached this far - Thank you for your time and patience! 





Hopefully, you can help me find a solution and/or point me in the right direction !! 😊
 


* Clipping/Pulling-Out the Red tips - This is what I’m currently using as a workaround. Groups are no where as tight as the JSB’s - but it’ll do the job (maybe) for now. But, a Polymag minus the (sharp/pointed) polymer-tip really defeats the whole purpose of using the Polymags in the first place.
Click to expand...

There was a deal in the classifieds that included a partial tin of Polymags (22's and not for an Impact, but same issue) and what I considered was buying one of those dog nail grinding bits that has an inverted cone or cup shape to the end. My hope was that I could set up a jig and get a more consistent shape to the end of the polymer tip than just trimming them with clippers.

But since Polymag shorts are available in 22 and the item sold before I could think it through I never looked into it further.

Not sure if there is a dog nail bit with an inverted cone shape either. I think most of them are more cupped, which might get too far away from the sharp point.
 
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I've been clipping, NOT PULLING OUT, the tips for 3 years now to get them to fit in my Royale/ Boss magazines. They've always worked great for me. Removing tip COMPLETELY changes the aerodynamics of the pellets too much. Clipping the tip virtually keeps the original aerodynamic & helps the pellet expansion upon hitting the target. Clip, DON'T REMOVE the tip then try them. My 2 cents worth. 
 
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Sorry, no suggestions as to solving you problem with the polymags.

Been using domed pellets for pesting and hunting for decades and never thought that an expanding pellet would make a big difference - a proper head or heart/lung shot will always do the job and a poor hit is bad news regardless of the pellet used. May be different now that AG velocities are increasing.

IMHO, it is difficult enough to swage a consistent (relatively) simple lead pellet - adding separate bits and pieces can only make things more complex and consequently, less accurate.

I have always thought that these composite pellets were just "gimmicky" and sold more for their "cool factor" rather than any real performance improvement over the basic domed pellet. I have tried several of them and was less than impressed - especially considering how expensive they are.

Didn't mean to go off topic, sorry about that - I will do some research into the improved performance claims of these types of pellets. Maybe I need to change my thinking.


 
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Been using domed pellets for pesting and hunting for decades and never thought that an expanding pellet would make a big difference - a proper head or heart/lung shot will always do the job and a poor hit is bad news regardless of the pellet used. May be different now that AG velocities are increasing.

I have always thought that these composite pellets were just "gimmicky" and sold more for their "cool factor" rather than any real performance improvement over the basic domed pellet. I have tried several of them and was less than impressed - especially considering how expensive they are.



1572197432_11582392735db5d438347426.82110590_20191014_114757.jpg
Click to expand...

I dug this .25 polymag from under the skin, after its having dumped 40fpe into the chest of a squirrel. The damage was pure devastation.

A domed JSB 25.39 would of passed through. I like the expansion and the results.
 
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I've only tried polymags in my .22 impact and gauntlet but I found that best accuracy was obtained by pouring about half a tin into my right hand and throwing them at the target. This method produced the most hits. Hades is a much better choice for accuracy and expansion given adequate velocity.
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I had the same experience with .30 Impact and Polymags. Tried clipping the and of the plastic so they would fit in the magazine. Tried pulling the red plastic completely out. Last, hand loaded straight from the tin. Had about an 8" group at 50 yards.
 
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I've been clipping, NOT PULLING OUT, the tips for 3 years now to get them to fit in my Royale/ Boss magazines. They've always worked great for me. Removing tip COMPLETELY changes the aerodynamics of the pellets too much. Clipping the tip virtually keeps the original aerodynamic & helps the pellet expansion upon hitting the target. Clip, DON'T REMOVE the tip then try them. My 2 cents worth.
Click to expand...



Hey Gerry,



I've started ( just in the last week) doing the clipping thingy ... The problem I run into - i.e. when clipping - is pellet length/consistency ... Not sure if there is a trick to ensuring that all of them are clipped to the equal/consistent size - or maybe it's one of those "Practice Makes Perfect" thingies. 

But right now, since my clipped pellets aren't consistent - it is (albeit slightly) affecting accuracy and group size!



Thoughts ?



Cheers,

Sharath


 
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Not sure there's a way besides single loading. I say wait for JSB Hades in .25. There on preorder at Pyramyd Air right now
Click to expand...



I've been hearing a lot about the new JSB Hades pellets ... But, from what I can gather (i.e. from some of the AG reviewers, on Youtube) is that it doesn't consistently expand, and that if/when it does - the expansion is no where closed to what's advertised.

[ It is very possible that those reviewers are using UK compatible (i.e. 12 FPE) AG - or maybe the Hades needs a few more revisions before its a true PolyMag competitor ]



I'd love to hear what your experience is with the .25 Hades pellets! 😊




 
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@kkamrical

Thanks for posting the picture! Nice even expansion.

40 FPE is really whacking a squirrel! Agreed, I use the JSB 25.39s in my Royal and always get pass-thru - the squirrels go down quick though. 

Do the .25 polymags shoot as well as the 25.39s for you?
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FWIW - In my FX Impact - if/when I single-load the Polymags - at 25 yards - the accuracy is (almost) at par with the JSB 33.95 MKII pellets.
 
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* Clipping/Pulling-Out the Red tips - This is what I’m currently using as a workaround. Groups are no where as tight as the JSB’s - but it’ll do the job (maybe) for now. But, a Polymag minus the (sharp/pointed) polymer-tip really defeats the whole purpose of using the Polymags in the first place.
Click to expand...

There was a deal in the classifieds that included a partial tin of Polymags (22's and not for an Impact, but same issue) and what I considered was buying one of those dog nail grinding bits that has an inverted cone or cup shape to the end. My hope was that I could set up a jig and get a more consistent shape to the end of the polymer tip than just trimming them with clippers.

But since Polymag shorts are available in 22 and the item sold before I could think it through I never looked into it further.

Not sure if there is a dog nail bit with an inverted cone shape either. I think most of them are more cupped, which might get too far away from the sharp point.
Click to expand...



If you see such a jig/contraption somewhere PLEASE do send me a link ... Would be soooo much easier/better than what I'm doing now (i.e. using a nail-clipper and hoping I've gauged the clip-length correctly!! :D)
 
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Click to expand...

Can those NSA HP's be loaded into the standard FX magazines? Or do those need to be single-loaded as well ?

Any idea how those slugs perform in a standard .25 cal barrel?
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They fit into the standard mag with ease since slugs are shorter than pellets weight for weight. I don't know how the regular barrel shoots them but Palm Beach Airguns sells the liner for $109 They're in stock and PBA ships fast. https://palmbeachairguns.com/product/fx-stx-slug-liner/
 
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